


Seduction

by pillowcreek



Category: The Bridge (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Universe, Established Relationship, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Sort Of, also this story is not sexy despite what the title might lead you to believe, i love my nerd children so much, they're terrible at it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 13:52:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12322317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pillowcreek/pseuds/pillowcreek
Summary: Aftermath of Grounding Force. Etta and Roger try to find some peace after some not-peace.





	Seduction

**Author's Note:**

> Hey remember when I said I would post the outtakes from Grounding Force? These are them!

Roger watches Etta as she tries to braid her hair. She kept losing half of it whenever she let go to twist two sections together and then would lose the twisted part whenever she went after the lost part. She’s muttering swear words under her breath and looks like she was about ready to just give up and deal with the mess in the morning. Roger decides to take pity on her. 

“Here, let me,” he says. 

She gives him The Look. The Look that says _really? are you serious right now?_ “You know how to braid hair?” 

“Sure, I used to braid my sister’s all the time.” 

“Wait, you have a sister?” 

“Uh, yeah?” He stares at her, confused. “Didn’t you know that?” 

“No! You never talk about yourself.” She pauses, considering. “Actually, I don’t think I know all that much about your life before the Bridge. Or during it, actually. Who _are_ you? You could be a serial killer for all I know!” 

Roger rolled his eyes. “I’m not a serial killer.” 

“Aha! That’s exactly the type of thing that a serial killer would say!” Etta says, grinning. 

“Etta.” 

“Don’t ‘Etta’ me!” she says, dropping her voice an octave lower on her name. “I just found out my boyfriend’s a serial killer!” 

He rolled his eyes again. “If I were a serial killer, wouldn’t I have already killed all of you? And why would I date you if I was planning on killing you?” 

“That’s your master plan,” Etta says. “Seduce me so that I trust you and then kill me with that trust.” 

“Okay, I don’t think I _seduced_ you…” 

“I don’t know. Girl shows up to an internship and three years later she’s dating her grump of a boss? Sounds like seduction to me.” 

“Oh my god, how did we even get here?” Roger says, exasperated. 

“You offered to braid my hair and I found out you have a mystery sister that you never told me about.” 

“Right. Do you want me to braid your hair or not?” 

Etta flashed him a quick grin, the kind that made him feel like he was falling but in the best way possible. “Definitely.” 

She kneels between his legs and Roger carefully untangles her attempt at a braid. “Why did you even try to braid your hair if you don’t know how to do it?” 

“I know how to do it. I just… do it badly, that’s all.” 

Roger snorts. “Yeah, and Bertie knows how to not talk about flowers for ten minutes.” 

Etta laughs but it’s more hesitant than her usual laugh. She’s quiet for a moment. “I don’t know,” she says finally, still sounding hesitant. “I just… I don’t know, I thought it would be cute?” 

“Cute?” Roger says, raising his eyebrows. 

Etta squirms. “Yeah. Like, this is the first time we’re really slept together and I didn’t want to screw it up.” 

Roger laughs but regrets it a second later when Etta tenses up. “I’m sorry, babe,” he says, adding in the endearment in an attempt to make her feel better. “It’s just…” 

“I’m inexperienced and it’s funny?” 

“No. No, never that.” He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her back so that she’s pressed against his chest. Roger gently kisses the side of her neck before murmuring, “It’s just that you are always cute. Always.” 

“Even when I’m driving you nuts because I’m not doing my job?” 

“Even then.” 

“Hm. I’ll have to keep that in mind then.” 

“In mind for what?” Roger feels a knot of dread form in his stomach. 

Etta grins up at him. “You seduced me, I seduce you.” 

Roger groans. “For the last time, I did not seduce you!” 

“Just calling them how I see them.” Etta twists around so that she’s straddling him rather than sitting between his legs. “And you sir, are very seductive.” 

Roger snorts as he pulls her up against him. “Yeah. Right.” 

“Mm. Definitely.” She runs a hand through his hair, her face softening slightly. “How are you doing by the way? Any better?” 

“Much.” He gazes at Etta, this strong steady force that he’s grown to rely on so much this past year. Roger had never thought that he would ever like her, let alone want to date her. But now she was what felt sometimes to be the only constant in his life. He could rely on her. Even if she was still a terrible broadcaster. 

“Does me sitting here like this help?” 

He nods. “The pressure keeps me grounded. I felt like I was just slightly out of it. Like there was just a part of my brain that had floated off and gotten stuck in the past. But when you’re here… It all comes back. I’m here again.” 

“Well I’m happy to help in whatever way I can.” 

“Thanks.” 

Etta smiles and gently kisses his forehead. “Of course. Now get some sleep. We still have to work tomorrow. Unless…” 

“Nope. Still working.” 

“What’s the point in dating the boss if you can’t even get a few days off out of it?” Etta says with a small huff. 

“Uh, you get to date someone you care deeply for?” Roger says with a raised eyebrow. 

“Hm. I suppose there’s that too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr @pillowcreeks where I cry about The Bridge a lot


End file.
